The Organized Chaos In The PYP Classroom

In my role as a PYP coordinator, it has always been my passion to ensure that all we do has a positive impact on student learning and their overall experience in school. There are no better ways to achieve this than by creating opportunities for ongoing teacher professional learning. However, I have always looked for methods that go beyond the traditional workshops where teachers spend a significant amount of time learning about various theories.

While I have led and value many of these workshops, I constantly pondered how teachers could apply their learning in practical settings and their unique contexts. As a new teacher, I vividly remember seeking ways to better understand how theoretical concepts looked in action.

To enhance my coaching skills, I engaged in extensive reading and developed a system that worked for a while. However, I soon realized the need for formal training that could provide structured guidance and reflective practices. This led me to join Jim Knight’s Instructional Coaching Institute, where the learning tools and methodologies offered have significantly enriched my professional development journey.

PYP coordinators and other pedagogical leaders can adopt the impact cycle to enhance their continous professional learning programs. By integrating coaching into post-workshop activities, teachers can contextualize their learning, adapt strategies to their unique classroom environments, and receive ongoing support to implement changes effectively. This approach can lead to more sustained and meaningful improvements in teaching practices​.

What is the Impact Cycle in Instructional Coaching?

The impact cycle, developed by Jim Knight, organizes the partnership between the coach and the coached around three crucial aspects: Identify, Learn, and Improve. This approach emphasizes offering choices to the coached, ensuring they have agency in their learning. The primary aim of this partnership is to create a positive impact on student learning through a structured process​.

1. Identify: In this phase, the coach and the teacher collaborate to understand the current reality of student learning, identify what impacts it positively, and pinpoint areas for development. Data collection through observations, student work, and assessments is crucial here. The coach and the teacher then develop a goal that is measurable, specific and focused on student learning.
2. Learn: During the learning phase, the teacher explores various strategies to address their goal . This could involve professional development sessions, observing model lessons, and experimenting with different implementation approaches alongside the coach. It is important for the teacher to understand that they can adjust the teaching strategy, if needed, to make it work for them, their studnets and their context.
3. Improve: The final phase involves implementing the new strategies in the classroom, continuously assessing their impact on students, reflecting on their effectiveness, and planning the next steps. This iterative process ensures continuous improvement and adaptation.

Key Takeaways from the Impact Cycle

Teacher Agency: One of the most valuable aspects of the impact cycle is giving teachers the autonomy to choose the focus of their improvement. This empowerment fosters a deeper engagement and commitment to the process.

Implementation: Moving from theory to practice is another critical takeaway, ensuring that teachers not only learn new strategies but also understand how to implement them effectively in their specific contexts.

Ongoing Reflection: The cycle’s iterative nature allows for ongoing reflection and adjustment, promoting sustained improvement over time.

Practical Examples of the Impact Cycle in Action

Identify Phase: A math teacher notices low student engagement in problem-solving activities. Collaborating with the instructional coach, they identify this as a focus area and collect data through classroom observations and student feedback.

Learn Phase: The teacher and coach explore various engagement strategies, such as incorporating real-world problems. They attend a workshop together, where these strategies are demonstrated and discussed, the coach also models a lesson to help the teacher see it in action.

Improve Phase: The teacher implements the new strategies in her lessons. The coach observes the classes, and they review student engagement data together. They notice an increase in student participation and adjust the strategies as needed to maintain high engagement levels. Over several weeks, they continue to refine the approach based on ongoing assessments and reflections​.

The impact cycle offers a structured yet flexible approach to professional learning, empowering teachers to take charge of their growth and translate learning into practice. By embracing this cycle, educators can enhance their teaching strategies, leading to improved student outcomes. I encourage fellow educators to explore instructional coaching and share their experiences and reflections.

Looking to go deeper with this in your school? I offer coaching and workshops for teams and curriculum leaders. [Learn more here.]